Katie Murphy
CO111 Response Paper
The Happy and the Sad Moralists
We need to ask ourselves when we are counseling or talking to someone personally what kind of Christian they are, so we know how best to help them. There are two types of people in this regard. They take opposite approaches to God’s love. We learned to identify them and also find examples in Scripture, showing that we all at times can be either a Happy or a Sad Moralist.
The Happy Moralist tries to make the law "doable". They take God’s commands and make them easier. They haven't been crushed by the law, they expect God to love them due to their conduct. Matthew 23:23 gives a good example of a Happy Moralist in the Pharisees as Jesus states, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others." It is much easier to follow a set of rules, routines, or behavior. To conform outwardly to the law is easier than loving mercy, justice, and faithfulness. In doing so we end up judging others, in turn keeping others from the Kingdom. The Happy Moralist needs the law to crush their self-confidence and drive them to the Savior. We cannot fulfill the law apart from Christ, and striving to will do nothing more than lead us to judge others who do not follow the law as we do. When the Happy Moralist becomes humbled by the law, when he sees the standard of absolute purity, he then can go back to Jesus with a full understanding of his need for a Savior. Deu 27:26 states, “Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” We need to remember that verse when we are leaning towards becoming a happy moralist, and remember that unless we are completely trusting in Christ and His saving grace we are under a curse trying to take care of our holiness in our own strength. We can tell we are heading on the happy moralist path when we start expecting God to behave a certain way due to our faithfulness and works. We begin to think God has a responsibility to reward us or give us certain things due to our performance. We begin to feel annoyed with others not performing the same way we are. Since in our heads we have made the law manageable we feel as if others are breaking rules and getting away with it, leading us to become irritated. As we become deeper into our happy moralism it becomes very difficult to deal with criticism, and if we are honest with ourselves, God’s love has become boring. Martin Luther wrote, “You must get thru your head and not doubt that you are the one who is torturing Christ thus, for your sins have surely wrought this. Therefore when you see the nails piercing Christ’s hands, you can be certain it is your work. When you behold His crown of thorns, you may rest assured that these are your evil thoughts that torment Him.” The solution for the Happy Moralist is this; let the law crush you, see how impossible it truly is for us to meet up to it. With that brokenness throw yourself at God’s unfailing love and know that Christ’s sacrifice is what fulfilled the Law, nothing we could ever do.
The other type of man is the Sad Moralist. They don’t need the law to crush them, it already has. They are trying to justify themselves by their repentance. When they get to the end of their day all they can see is how they failed God. There is no peace or joy for the Sad Moralist. They are trying to prove themselves worthy thereby removing the stumbling block of the cross. We need to see our failings but remember that God knew our failings, and through His immense love for us sent His son to die on the cross for us. We need to let go of our need to “feel worthy” because if we are chasing a feeling then our obedience was never about God, it was about ourselves.
For me, the sad moralist hit home. I have been striving harder and harder for God’s peace and joy. I didn’t understand how I felt it at the beginning of my walk and how it seems to be constantly out of my reach the more years that pass. I had some days, my happy moralist days, where I completed many tasks “For God” and would manage to go to bed in peace. But more days than not I was feeling more and more discouraged. I had lost sight of the cross, of what had been done for me, of the immense love, grace, and mercy that were already poured out for my sins. Thanks be to God who showed me the truth through this class the error of my ways. I think George Whitfileds quote best sums it up by stating, “you must not only be sick of your original and actual sin, but you must be made sick of your righteousness, all your duties, all your performances.”
The answer for freedom and guidance for both the sad and happy moralist is this, the Gospel. As a counselor and friend I pray to lead others to a gospel-centered life, and as the same for myself. It starts with confession, to be comfortable with being completely honest about my sin. We need to move forward from that with Thanksgiving, even thanks for our sin and its ability to lead us to the cross. We then strive for obedience, without worry or anxiety, trusting in God with thanks in our hearts. We need to remind our counselees and ourselves that God’s disposition towards us is one of immense love and grace. To quote again Martin Luther, “God does not slack His promises because of our sins or hasten them because of our righteousness.”